Whats a Hemi

A letter of love from my brother, or as Rachel called him "Cooler"....



WHATS A HEMI ?

That is the last question that Rachel asked me late one night just weeks before she left us. We would exchange texts at what others would consider odd times but it worked for us. A lot of things we did would be considered odd by others but it was our “normal”. How many teenage girls do you know that enjoyed going fishing in the middle of the night? Especially with their uncle? And even bring along one of her friends to witness it? I was lucky enough to be considered the cool uncle. You know the type, the one that lets you drive when you are way too young (among other things). She loved to listen to “QUEEN” on our many outings. What many would consider eclectic was our daily routine.

The last time I saw Rachel she had called me late at night and asked me what I was doing. She was great at asking for something without actually asking. She finally said that her car had “just stopped on the side of the road”. When I got to her I found that it was simply a bad battery terminal, got her going again and had her follow me to Wally World for a replacement. At this time in her life she was staying with some friends, trying to find herself. As I was replacing the terminal I asked her how things were going. She simply replied “things will be better when I go home”.

One of Rachels strongest qualities was that of forgiveness. I witnessed her forgive people for things that I would have had problems doing the same. The last time I heard her voice on the phone she spoke of forgiveness.

James 1:17 tells us that “every good and perfect gift comes from above from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning”. Rachel may not have been the perfect daughter, niece, sister, cousin or friend but she was the perfect gift. She touched more lives in her short time here then I could ever hope to. There is an empty spot in my heart because she is gone, but there will always be a spot in my heart that will never be empty because she was here.

As those of us that knew Rachel take our own journey through grief we all have questions of why. I challenge you to not ask why she is gone but rather why were you allowed to witness her while she was here. Don’t ask why she was taken away but what did any of us do to deserve to have had her for even just a second in our life. This is what I do to carry on with my journey. It may not work for you. Even though there are many of us on this journey we must all take our own paths. Psalms 23:4 says “yea I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil”. It is a singular statement. That journey is one that everyone must make alone. There is always support, there is always others involved, there is always God, but in the end it is just you and Him. God is love, and we all know what Rachel thought about LOVE.